- The Secretary of State shall refuse registration of a fictitious business name, which, in the Secretary of State’s sole discretion, is potentially misleading, or which includes any of the following terms:
- “Corporation,” “Corp.,” “Incorporated,” or “Inc.,” unless the applicant is a corporation organized or qualified to do business pursuant to the laws of this state;
- “Limited Liability Company,” “Limited Company” or the abbreviation “L.L.C.,” “L.C.,” “LLC,” or “LC,” unless the applicant is a limited liability company organized or registered to do business pursuant to the laws of this state;
- “Business Trust” or the abbreviation “B.T.” or “BT,” unless the applicant is a business trust organized or registered to do business pursuant to the laws of this state;
- “Professional Corporation” or the abbreviation “Prof. Corp.,” “P.C.,” or “PC” or the word “Chartered” or the abbreviation “Chtd.,” unless the applicant is a professional corporation organized to do business pursuant to the laws of this state;
- “Professional Association,” “Professional Organization,” or the abbreviation “Prof. Ass’n” or “Prof. Org.,” unless the applicant is a professional association organized to do business pursuant to the laws of this state;
- “Limited” or the abbreviation “Ltd.,” unless the applicant is a corporation, limited liability company, registered limited liability partnership, limited partnership, or professional corporation organized, qualified, or registered to do business pursuant to the laws of this state;
- Words not permitted to be used in any business name without governmental consent, unless the applicant provides to the Secretary of State written evidence of such consent.
- Notwithstanding the other provisions of this section, the Secretary of State may allow registration of a fictitious business name which contains a prohibited term if, in the Secretary of State’s sole discretion, the term is not misleading.
